Four Friends, Four Flowers, and a Rufus
by whitem
Summary: A little one-shot that I wrote after the passing of my good friend and author, cpneb


After everything that's happened recently, and then reading what everyone has said about our dear friend and co-writer cpneb, I sat down and started writing. The following is what I ended up with. The final version wouldn't have happened though without the help of JAKT and Star-Eva01. Thanks so much you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Kim Possible characters used in this story.

Four Friends, Four Flowers, and a Rufus

Kimberly Anne Possible and Ronald Dean Stoppable stood solemnly to one side of the marker with heads bowed, and Andrea Jocelyn Possible and Wade Agamemnon Load stood next to each other opposite of them. Each person held onto a single white rose while they all had their hands clasped in front of themselves. Rufus stood on Ron's left shoulder with his little head bowed, his front paws crossed in front of himself as well. Of the six pairs of eyes, not a single one was dry, and only a sniffle or muffled whimper could be heard in the cold still air.

"Things are never going to be the same, are they?" Joss said quietly and wiped away a tear from her teal colored eyes with a black-gloved hand.

"No, they won't." Kim said and gave a little sniffle of her own.

"I… I only wish that I knew him better." Ron said, shuffling his feet.

"I know I learned a lot of things about him that I didn't know before." Wade replied, and then gave a little cough.

"Catching a cold Aggie?" Joss asked as she looked up into her boyfriend's deep dark eyes.

"No… I don't think so Sweet Tea. I… just had a catch in my throat." Wade still couldn't cover his emotions very well as Joss hooked an arm into his and squeezed tight.

The five then continued to stand in silence for a few more minutes before Ron's voice spoke up. "Well guys, I don't want to sound disrespectful or anything… but it's been almost 4 hours since the Service was over, and I… uhhh… need to take care of some… business." Ron then shifted slightly from one foot to the other making the other three smile knowingly, and Rufus to just look at his owner in understanding as Ron did have two Giant Slurpsters on the way there.

"Yeah…" Kim started, "It is probably time that we should go." Still, none of them moved to leave, except for the little 'dance' that Ron was doing.

"So who's going to be first?" Ron said, looking at the others.

"B… but I don't w… wanna say good… goodbye." Joss said trying to hold back her feelings one more time.

"Oh Joss…" Wade said and placed a kiss on her cheek, catching one of her tears. "It's like what was said earlier in the Service. Think of this as not saying goodbye, but See You Later."

The smaller of the two red heads took in a deep shuddering breath and slowly let it out before saying "I… I suppose so. It just doesn't make me feel much better right now."

"It's not supposed to." Wade replied, and then looked down at the rose in his hand. "Until we meet each other again, my dear good friend."

Wade then leaned over and gently placed his rose in the first of four stone vases built into the base of the marker. Joss leaned over next, and placed her flower in the following vase, kissing her fingers and placing them on the stone as she stood back up. Kim set hers in the third, which was raised a bit higher, and then did what Joss had done while standing back up. Ron then placed his rose in the last vase which was the same height as the first two, and gave the headstone a 'knuckle bump' before straightening back up next to his girlfriend. The four roses almost looked like notes written on a piece of paper.

Kim then stepped to a position opposite the headstone and read the inscription one last time.

**cpneb**

**Writer and Author**

"**Writing has to be fun; **

**else, it's not worth doing. **

**With betas and friends like this, **

**it will always be fun for me."**

"One last time, my dear good friend… one last time." Kim said, and then raised her wrist and pressed a button on her Kimmunicator.

The four notes of her signature tune played out as a beam of light came on in rhythm to the notes underneath each rose, illuminating them for all time. With a quick glance at his PosComm, Wade gave a little smile as everything he had set up was working according to design. The flowers would stay as perfect as they were now for a very, very… **very** long time to come, thanks to a donation by Dr. Sylvan Green, weapons designer, now turned botanist.

Ron placed an arm over Kim's shoulders, and Wade wrapped his around Joss' waist as all four said at the same time, "So long 'neb… We'll see you later."

Rufus' little voice then piped up "'til then."

Four friends and a mole rat turned and left, tears still falling for the loss of their Friend, and Author.

The End…

* * *

The quote on the headstone is from cpneb's last completed story, **"Birth, and Rebirth SI: Christmas Start, and Restart"**. I only felt it was fitting, and worked perfectly.

So long 'neb… I'll see you in the FanFiction site in the sky…


End file.
